IWLCA Announces Its Special Awards for 2009-2010

The IWLCA has announced the recipients of special service awards for the 2009-2010 season. Jan Hathorn was named the Diane Geppi-Aikens Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement, honoring her many years of service to the sport. Cal's Theresa Sherry, the chair of the Recruiting/Club Team Issues committee, has been honored with the IWLCA Service Award, presented to the member of the organization who has provided exceptional efforts on behalf of the association.

The staff of Lacrosse Magazine, the official magazine of US Lacrosse, received the President's Cup, recognizing their efforts in support of the sport. In addition, three assistant coaches were named Assistant Coach of the Year in their respective divisions. The IWLCA honored Robin Selbst (TCNJ), Tom Kienle (Rollins), and Colleen Shearer (Virginia).

Hathorn, currently the Athletic Director at Washington & Lee University, has been active in the women's lacrosse community for over 25 years. A former Division III Vice President for the IWLCA, Hathorn has served on numerous IWLCA and NCAA committees. She is a tremendous ambassador of the game and embodies the characteristics of Diane Geppi-Aikens. As a lacrosse coach, Hathorn turned W&L into one of the nation's elite programs, guiding the Generals to a 222-93 (.705) record from 1989-07.

Her teams produced 17 winning seasons, nine ODAC titles and eight NCAA Tournament berths, and she was named the ODAC Coach of the Year nine times, including in each of her final five years. Hathorn's 277 career wins (277-112) rank among the most in the history of collegiate women's lacrosse. Before arriving at W&L, Hathorn spent five years at Denison University, where she coached the lacrosse team to a 55-19 overall record and five conference titles. Her 1985, 1986, and 1987 teams finished eighth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament and she was named the NCAC Coach of the Year in 1987.

Sherry, in her role as chair of the Recruiting/Club Team Issues for the IWLCA, worked tirelessly to not only compile the club director database and communicate with club directors and tournament directors about recruiting issues, but also spearheaded the IWLCA efforts to have important conversations about the state of recruiting in our sport. She did a lot of research to come up with possible recruiting models and worked with her committee to have in-depth conversations during the annual meeting to discuss the issues and then reported back to the NCAA Recruiting cabinet.

The communications staff of US Lacrosse, under the leadership of Director of Communications Brian Logue, is responsible for the content of Lacrosse Magazine Online (LMO) and the print magazine. The original coverage of the student-athletes, coaches, and issues that surround women's lacrosse has been exemplary and groundbreaking, helping educate the public in the sport.

Shearer is in her fourteenth season as an assistant at Virginia. Working primarily with the attack, the New Jersey native has helped Virginia advance to the NCAA tournament each season she has been in Charlottesville.

Kienle has helped Rollins jump from a new program to one of the top-ten in the country in only three years. The Long Island native has also been involved in many camps and youth lacrosse organizations across the state. He is currently a part time Physical Education teacher at a local elementary school while coaching full time at Rollins.

Selbst, a former lacrosse student-athlete at TCNJ, is in her tenth year as the assistant coach at her alma mater. After helping the Lions win a national title in 1996 as a player, she returned to the sidelines where she has helped TCNJ win the national championship three times. Selbst also serves as the assistant coach for the Lions' field hockey team, working again with head coach Sharon Pfluger.